Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE by Janet Fox

THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE by Janet Fox (Viking, March 15, 2016)

What It's About (from Goodreads):
Something is not right at Rookskill Castle, a rundown Scottish manor shrouded in mystery. The castle is a temporary boarding school for children escaping the Blitz, but soon it’s clear there is something terribly wrong. There are clues hinting that a spy is in the house, and there are undeniable signs of a sinister magic. When the children in the castle’s temporary boarding school begin disappearing one by one, it’s a race against the clock for twelve-year-old Kat Bateson, her two younger siblings, and their new best friend.

Opening Lines:
"It is 1863.
The winter winds shriek and moan around the castle turrets as the nightmare finds him, poor cat-boy John.
He runs from room to room until he finds a place to hide, and then he hears but two things: the clattering and the ragged hish, hish of his own breath."

Five Things to Love:

• Can you say "atmospheric?" This takes place is a Scottish castle, whose corridors are maze-like. The weather is suitably Scottish (a.k.a. foul), and sinister things are afoot. What's left of my hair positively curled, as I read along.
• Kat Bateson is an independent, skeptical child. She's given a chatelaine by her great-aunt, and told by said great-aunt that the chatelaine is magic. Rational Kat, however, doesn't believe in magic. That is, until the horrors of Rookskill Castle unfold.
• Speaking of sinister, Lady Craig--referred to as "the Lady"--is one of the creepiest creations of children's literature. She is a soul-stealer, with a chatelaine of her own, and Kat and her younger siblings are her targets.
• I loved the way the novel shifted effortlessly between time periods--from the 1740s to the 1860s to the 1940s. The writer got all the period details just right.
• Janet Fox isn't British, but she sure fooled me (someone who's a Brit by birth.) Her feel for British language and idiom was superb. If I ever have the honor to meet her, I'll have to ask her how she does it!

Janet Fox kindly agreed to be my next victim  interviewee:

1) Who are your favorite (middle grade) writers?

Oh, boy. Where do I start? (Where do I end?) I started to answer this and the list got so, so long...let's just say I hate to miss any of my favorites. Let's just add that I love middle grade. And there are so many fabulous middle grade authors and books out there right now. But I'll say this much: I dedicated THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE to Kathi Appelt. Not only has she been a friend and mentor, but I turn to her books (especially THE UNDERNEATH) for gorgeous language, great character, and richly layered plot.

2) What's on your nightstand now?

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm attaching a photo of my towering pile, which is just where it starts.

3) Pick a favorite scene from your novel, and say why you like it.

My favorite scene is kind of a spoiler, so I'll leave some things unsaid, but it happens near the climax. My protagonist, Kat, sees the antagonist in a new light. Kat recognizes the potential beauty in the hideousness. This is a scene that came to me during a workshop with Donald Maass, and it turned my entire notion of how to create a twist right on its head (if you can follow that weird metaphor combo.) It also causes Kat to hesitate at a critical moment which...well, no spoilers! (MGM: Agreed! That is a magnificent scene. In fact, the whole climax is magnificent.)

4) Fill in the blank: I'm really awesome at....  

finding things. I call it my superpower. I have an uncanny knack for locating lost items, especially those of other people. And I'm really, really good at finding four-leaf clovers. (MGM: Oh my goodness, that is a great talent. You would be in high demand at my house with my three "where is it?" boys.)

5) My favorite breakfast is...

bacon and eggs. With blueberries and yogurt. And strong, strong coffee. And, if I'm really indulging, a chocolate croissant, warmed up a bit so the chocolate is melty. Yum. 

6) If you could visit any place, where would it be?

I'm going to pick a place I haven't been: New Zealand. It looks so gorgeous in photos. It's on my bucket list. (MGM: New Zealand does seem to be a perennial favorite of my interviewees. Maybe we should all go on a writing retreat there...?)

Janet Fox has also produced a series of eerily cool videos about each of the charms of the chatelaine. As I'm the sixth stop on the tour, this video reveals the 6th charm. (To follow along with the video reveals, see the list of blog tour participants on Janet's website):

About The Author:

Janet Fox writes award-winning fiction and non-fiction for children of all ages. Her published works include the non-fiction GET ORGANISED WITHOUT LOSING IT (Free Spirit, 2006) and the YA historical romances FAITHFUL (Penguin 2010), FORGIVEN (Penguin 2011),  and SIRENS (Penguin, 2012). Her debut middle grade novel, THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE  is a historical fantasy set in 1940 Scotland. Janet is a 2010 graduate of Vermont College's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She lives in Bozeman, Montana.

Website (where you can play her truth or dare game!)  Twitter

Well folks, that was a fun book to review on my birthday! Off to celebrate. Ciao!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: THE MORRIGAN'S CURSE BY Dianne K. Salerni

THE MORRIGAN'S CURSE by Dianne K. Salerni (HarperCollins, 2016)

Preamble: I'm writing this on Sunday afternoon, befuddled by Daylight Saving's time and peeved by the fact that my laptop's hard drive died this morning. I wish the Don could just take over the world, and decree an end of DST as well as mechanical malfunctions. I was on the verge of going off to sulk when I realized the old and barely used computer downstairs was still chugging along--and I had received some wonderful answers this week to my questions from Dianne Salerni. This immediately put me in a better mood, and hence you have an MMGM from me today. Huzzah!

What It's About (from Goodreads):
The battle between Kin and Transitioners that's been brewing for centuries has finally come to a head. The sinister Kin have captured Evangeline's younger sister, Addie, a descendant of Merlin whose presence will allow them to reverse the Eighth Day Spell and free themselves. Addie doesn't realize the full consequences of her cooperation. She's been helping the Kin because they value the strength of her magic—something Evangeline never did. The feeling of power coursing through her veins is impossible to resist.


Meanwhile, Riley, Evangeline, and Jax craft a plan to rescue Addie from her captors. But the Kin's unstoppable magic, and a rebellious Addie, force Riley to reconsider whether saving Addie is worth sacrificing everyone who lives in the seven-day week. Jax won't let Evangeline's sister be used as a pawn, so he risks it all in a secret mission of his own. With the Morrigan pushing both sides of the war toward annihilation, Addie must decide where her loyalties lie, while Jax, Riley, and Evangeline confront the possibility of losing Addie to save the world.

Opening Lines:
"Normally, Addie Emrys didn't like heights, but in this case, the view was worth it. Leaning on the wooden railing of a second-floor balcony, she watched waves crash against rocks on the shore below, blasting themselves into wild sprays of foam."

The Love List:

1. The Cover, right? I love all the covers of this trilogy, by artist Mike Heath. They are eye-catching and arresting.
2. If you want to see how to deftly introduce a new book in a series, study Dianne Salerni. There's no massive info dumping. Instead, the story starts off at speed, with occasional reminders of what has gone before. Brilliant!
3. The world Dianne Salerni has created. I loved the settings, the wild weather, all of the Eighth Day magic. (And boy, what I sometimes wouldn't give to have an Eighth Day of my own! Except I'd probably spend it taking a nap instead of fighting for survival.)
4. All of the old characters, as well as some new ones. Dianne Salerni is great at creating villains, too--which leads me to...
5. In every book of this trilogy, Dianne has had some breathtaking, climactic fight scene. The Morrigan's Curse is no exception. This time, it's Addie, with her fear of heights, having to do battle on top of a water tank. It gives me goose bumps just thinking of it. Dianne Salerni is a master.

I was lucky enough to have Dianne answer some of my most probing questions:

1) What's the hardest thing about writing a series?

The hardest thing for me was the build-up of characters over the course of the books. I had a lot of characters in Book 1. Most of them appeared in Book 2, along with a new cast of villains and potential allies. By the time I got to Book 3 and needed to introduce another new set of characters for the conflict, I felt as if I had a cast of thousands! I started wishing I'd killed off more characters in the first two books, lol. (Mafioso's note: Well, you handled them all deftly!)

2) Is the Morrigan a real legend, or did she spring from your imagination fully formed?

The Morrigan is a real mythological character -- or as real as any mythological character can be! She is known as a 3-in-one deity linked to fate, war, and destruction. For my book, I took the barebones of her legend and refined them to serve my story, giving unique names to each of her incarnations: the Girl of Crows, the Washer Woman, and the Old Crone.

3) Will there be a book 4?

I hope there will be a Book 4 and a Book 5, but that's up to the publisher. They told me they would make a decision later this year, so keep your fingers crossed for me! (MG Mafioso: I certainly will!)

Bonus Question: What's your favorite thing about book signings?

My favorite thing about book signings is when a young reader comes having already read one or more of my books and has a long list of questions to ask me about the plot. Sometimes I have to think on my feet when they start digging deep into the story! 

Thanks for featuring me at Middle Grade Mafioso!

Thanks for creating such a great story-world, Dianne. I hope we all get to read more about Jax, Riley, Evangeline, and the rest of the cast soon!

You can read my Middle Grade Mafioso reviews of The Eighth Day and The Inquisitor's Mark, as well as visit Dianne at her web page and follow her on Twitter. Ciao!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: THE BLACKTHORN KEY by Kevin Sands

THE BLACKTHORN KEY (by Kevin Sands, Aladdin 2015)

(This title was the winner of the 2016 Middle Grade Cybils award!)

What It's About (from the author's website): 
Following a series of murders, an apothecary’s apprentice must solve puzzles and decipher codes in pursuit of a secret that could destroy the world in this suspenseful debut novel.

Christopher Rowe, apprentice to Master Apothecary Benedict Blackthorn, is learning all his master’s secrets—like how to decipher complex codes and puzzles, and how to transform simple ingredients into powerful medicines, potions, and weapons.

Christopher’s beloved master guides him with a firm, steady hand—a confidence even more vital as Christopher learns of a mysterious cult preying on London’s apothecaries. The murders grow closer and closer to Blackthorn’s shop…until Christopher is torn from his home with only a cryptic message and a warning from his master: “Tell no one what I’ve given you.”

Aided by his best friend, Tom, Christopher must race to decipher his master’s message—and follow a trail of deceit toward an unearthly secret with the power to tear the world apart.

Opening Lines: (There's a prologue, but I want to feature the great writing of these first lines of Chapter 1)

"Let's Build a cannon," I said.
Tom wasn't listening. He was deep in concentration, tongue pinched between his teeth, as he steeled himself for combat with the stuffed black bear that ruled the front corner of my master's shop."

Why I Liked It:

1. The writing, plain and simple. You can see from the very opening lines that you are in the hands of a master. The cadence of the sentences is perfect; each word is perfectly chosen. Think "steeled for combat," rather than "ready to fight." And the bear "rules" rather than sits or anything else. In a bare three sentences, I am primed for good stuff.
2. The characters. Christopher, the apprentice apothecary, and his friend Tom are likable, ingenious, and intrepid. 
3. The setting. London in the 1660s. King Charles II has seen the monarchy restored to the throne after the years of Cromwell.
4. Sensory details. Sands gives us London in all its stench: "It was swelteringly hot in the noonday sun, and the piles of animal dung clogging the drains let off the worst stench London had smelled in years." (Page 29) This is followed by descriptions of chamber pots and their contents, hackney coaches clattering over cobbles, and the scent of musk from horses. 
5. Codes and clues. This is a good mystery, full of adventure and intrigue. (There is some graphic violence, so a tender-hearted reader might want to beware.)

This is a speedy, heart-pounding read. One of the best books I read last year, and a worthy winner of the Cybils' award.

About The Author (from his website):

Since escaping from university with a pair of degrees in theoretical physics, Kevin Sands has worked as a researcher, business consultant, a teacher, and a professional poker player. He lives in Toronto, Canada. The Blackthorn Key is his debut novel. WEBSITE TWITTER

Show and Tell Storytellers' Video Featuring... ME!

I've been blessed by many creative friends over the years, and am married to an extremely creative woman. These creatives are blessed with multitudinous abilities way above my own. They write, do calligraphy, draw, make art, make music, and come up with idea after idea. 

One of my newest creative friends is Jesse Bray. We met at church last year, and instantly connected. Jesse fits in with the above definition of a creative: he's a wonderful artist, animator, designer, videographer, storyteller and musician. And boy, is he ever full of ideas! (If you want to know more about Jesse and his work, you can find him HERE)

We have a couple of projects in the works--which we hope to get to once Jesse's current project stops being so time-consuming. But in the interim, Jesse decided it might be fun to video me talking about storytelling. So, here I am, warts and all. If you have a spare 7 or so minutes, I'd be honored if you'd give this a listen and tell me what you think.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: NO TALKING by Andrew Clements

NO TALKING by Andrew Clements (Simon and Schuster 2007)

This was one of the titles for the 2016 Oregon Battle of the Books, 3rd-5th grade.

What It's About (from Goodreads): 
The fifth-grade girls and the fifth-grade boys at Laketon Elementary don't get along very well. But the real problem is that these kids are loud and disorderly. That's why the principal uses her red plastic bullhorn. A lot. 

Then one day Dave Packer, a certified loudmouth, bumps into an idea -- a big one that makes him try to keep quiet for a whole day. But what does Dave hear during lunch? A girl, Lynsey Burgess, jabbering away. So Dave breaks his silence and lobs an insult. And those words spark a contest: Which team can say the fewest words during two whole days? And it's the boys against the girls. 

How do the teachers react to the silence? What happens when the principal feels she's losing control? And will Dave and Lynsey plunge the whole school into chaos?

First Lines:
Dave Packer was in the middle of his fourth hour of not talking. He was also in the middle of his social studies class on a Monday morning in the middle of November. And Laketon Elementary School was in the middle of a medium-size town in the middle of New Jersey."

What I thought, by my 9-year-old: 
"I give it 4 and a half stars, because it's about school and it's funny. I liked the competition between the boys and the girls. My favorite characters were Dave and Lynsey. I didn't give it five stars because sometimes I felt it was confusing--the teachers thought the 5th grade was noisy, but they got mad when the fifth graders stopped talking.

From a Writer's Perspective: 
I think it's interesting to examine the narrative strategy here. Andrew Clements uses an obtrusive narrator. (The next paragraph after the opening paragraph has the line "this isn't the time to tell about that.") My hunch is that a novice writer wouldn't get away with that, and that agents and editors might balk--after all, the popular POVs currently are 1st-person and close 3rd-person close. Interestingly, my 9-year-old made no mention of the story-telling devices, but was sucked into the story. I mean, who doesn't like a girl versus boy story at this age? (All three of my boys loved the Boys Against The Girls series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.)

About the Author (from Andrew Clement's website):
Andrew Clements is the author of the enormously popular Frindle. More than 10 million copies of his books have been sold, and he has been nominated for a multitude of state awards, including two Christopher Awards and an Edgar Award. His popular works include About Average, Troublemaker, Extra Credit, Lost and Found, No Talking, Room One, Lunch Money, and more. He is also the author of the Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the School series. He lives with his wife in Maine and has four grown children. Visit him at AndrewClements.com.

SWEET HOME ALASKA by Carole Estby Dagg

SWEET HOME ALASKA by Carole Estby Dagg (February 2nd, 2016, Penguin Young Readers)

What It's About (from publisher's promotional materials):
It’s 1934 and the Great Depression is hitting the Johnson family quite hard in Wisconsin. Terpsichore, “Trip”, is doing her best to provide for her family after her father loses his job at the mill. With her whole town turning to relief, President Roosevelt has provided them with an option—to become settlers of a New Deal Colony in Palmer, Alaska. Trip tries to make the best of her new living situation by channeling her idol, Laura Ingalls Wilder to embark on this grand adventure. Pro: No homework for kids who have to plant crops with their families. Con: No libraries or radios to entertain each other with after a hard day’s work. Pro: Making a new stake in virtually untouched land. Con: Scarlet fever epidemics. As they face the hardships of turning tents into barns, can Terpsichore and the other two hundred families find their place in the new colony?

Opening Lines:
"It was because Terpsichore was the only unmusical Johnson that she dragged a hatchet across the yard toward a pumpkin as big as a pickle barrel."

Things I Liked About It:

• Terpsichore is an engaging character who is self-sufficient (and I love that she has all sorts of issues with her problematic name.)
• Great portrayal of family bonds and friendships.
• Insight into both the Great Depression, and the fact that FDR had a program to resettle hard-hit families from the midwest to Alaska.
• The additional material at the back of the book, including a recipe for Jellied Moose Nose.

I had the pleasure of asking Carole Estby Dagg my middle grade mafioso questions!

Who are your favorite (middle grade) writers?
There are so many wonderful middle grade writers I’m going to narrow it down to middle grade historical fiction writers. What’s more, I’ll put them in alphabetical order so I don’t have to choose favorites:

Avi, Gennifer Choldenko, Karen Cushman, Karen Hesse, Jennifer Holm, Kirby Larson, Lois Lawry, Patricia MacLachlan, Katherine Patterson, Richard Peck, Caroline Starr Rose, and Jacqueline Woodson.

What’s on your nightstand now?
(Pause while I lug in the stack so I can type ititles here at the computer)
Last in a Long Line of Rebels, by Lisa Lewis Tyre
All-American Boys, by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
The Secret Keeper, by Kate Morton
Out of Darkness, by Ashley Hope Perez
Leaving Berlin, by Joseph Kanon
Recipes for Love and Murder, by Sally Andrew

Like Terpsichore in my Sweet Home Alaska, I don’t like that bedside stack to go below at least three. And six is better.

Pick a favorite scene from your novel, and say why you like it.
I love happy endings, including the one in Sweet Home Alaska that has friends and family working together and learning to appreciate diverse skills and personalities, reuniting long-ago sweethearts, and concluding with a hearty sing-along.

Fill in the blank: I’m really awesome at…
weaving. I won Best of Show at the county fair a few years back. Here’s a picture of a shadow weave silk and wool scarf I wove for my daughter.

My favorite breakfast is….
French toast with strawberries, but I usually settle for Fiber One cereal topped with fruit and nuts.

If you could visit any place, where would it be?
It would be Hill Top Farm in the Lake Country of England, where Beatrix Potter lived. I’ve also always wanted to visit Prince Edward Island, where Anne of Green Gables takes place.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Carole Estby Dagg was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and has lived in Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia. She has degrees in sociology, library science, and accounting. She spends most of her time writing and reading, but her real-life adventures include tiptoeing through King Tut's tomb, sandboarding the dunes of western Australia, riding a camel among the Great Pyramids, paddling with Manta rays in Moorea, and smelling the penguins in the Falkland Islands. She is married with two children, two grandchildren. Her son lives in Palmer Alaska, and that is what inspired her to write this story.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: MURDER IS BAD MANNERS by Robin Stevens

MURDER IS BAD MANNERS by Robin Stevens (April 21st 2015, from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

What It's About (from the author's website):
When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own deadly secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia’s missing tie. Which they don’t, really.)

But then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym. She thinks it must all have been a terrible accident – but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls know a murder must have taken place . . . and there’s more than one person at Deepdean with a motive.

Now Hazel and Daisy not only have a murder to solve: they have to prove a murder happened in the first place. Determined to get to the bottom of the crime before the killer strikes again (and before the police can get there first, naturally), Hazel and Daisy must hunt for evidence, spy on their suspects and use all the cunning, scheming and intuition they can muster. But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test?

Opening Lines:
"This is the first murder that the Wells and Wong Detective Society has ever investigated, so it is a good thing Daisy bought me a new casebook. The last one was finished when we solved The Case of Lavinia's Missing Tie."

Five Things I Thought Were Great:

• Maybe because I went to an English boarding school between the ages of 9 and 17, (although my experience was in the 1970s, rather than the 1930s) I thought the author got so many things about boarding school right. The slang. The overbearing manner of the prefects and senior students to the younger. The fascination and repulsion about the teachers.
• So much humour. Of all the Cybils nominees I read, this one elicited the most chuckles.
• The relationship between Daisy and Hazel. Daisy is the daughter of a lord, and Hazel is from Hong Kong. Both are extremely intelligent, but Daisy does her best to appear "thick." Hazel is soon on to her, though, and they join together to start the Wells and Wong Detective Society. 
• A fabulous supporting cast, of both students and teachers. Each one had a quirk which helped solidify them in my mind's eye.
• The murder mystery is a good one (although I did suspect the culprit halfway through.) I do hope there's going to be a sequel! (P.S. There is! See below.)

**Highly recommended for Anglophiles, as well as murder-mystery lovers!**

I had the great good fortune to be able to ask the author, Robin Stevens, my notorious Middle Grade Mafioso questions. She's a "good egg," as one of her characters might say.

1) Who are your favorite (middle grade) writers?
I have a lot of favourites, but I particularly love Rebecca Stead and Katherine Rundell - I think they're some of the best middle grade authors writing at the moment! (MGM: Yay for English spelling!)

2) What's on your nightstand now?
Too many books to even count! It's a tower. But the book I'm reading right now is The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. I just finished And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, and next I think I'm going a bit more middle grade with Kevin Sands' The Blackthorn Key. (MGM: I'll be featuring the latter later!)

3) Pick a favorite scene from your novel, and say why you like it.
The scene from Murder is Bad Manners where they sneak into the school at night, alone, to recreate the murder - and then see someone else's flashlight in the distance - was one of my favourite ever to write, and still gives me the shivers when I think about it!

4) Fill in the blank: I'm really awesome at....  reading. I can go at super-speed if I need to - I used to work as an editor and it was very helpful!

5) My favorite breakfast is... I discovered poached eggs last year, and it was a major revelation. Where have they been all my life?

6) If you could visit any place, where would it be?
Hong Kong! I'm actually going there soon - lifetime dream achieved! (MGM: Definitely a favourite destination of mine. My wife and I had a grand time there when we lived in Asia.)

Now for the good news. The series is going great guns in the UK, and the second novel, titled Poison Is Not Polite will be coming out in April this year. Interestingly, the UK and US editions have different titles and different cover art. You can check them out HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from her Goodreads bio:)
Robin Stevens was born in California and grew up in an Oxford college, across the road from the house where Alice in Wonderland lived. She has been making up stories all her life.

When she was twelve, her father handed her a copy of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and she realised that she wanted to be either Hercule Poirot or Agatha Christie when she grew up. When it occurred to her that she was never going to be able to grow her own spectacular walrus moustache, she decided that Agatha Christie was the more achieveable option.

She spent her teenage years at Cheltenham Ladies’ College, reading a lot of murder mysteries and hoping that she’d get the chance to do some detecting herself (she didn’t). She then went to university, where she studied crime fiction. Robin now works full-time as a writer and lives in London with her bearded dragon, Watson.

You can visit her website HERE, or follow her on Twitter @redbreastedbird